transportation funds in their community if given the opportunity. Residents expressed strong interest in $20 out of non-motorized trails, every $100 allocating on average 20% spent on Trails of all available funds towards non-motorized development.
Non-Motorized Trails Genesee County is making significant strides in the development of a premier non-motorized network. More communities are experiencing firsthand the economic, health, and social benefits of developing non-motorized trails. In the past four years alone over $5.5 million in engineering and construction funds have been captured by Genesee County communities to construct nonmotorized facilities. By the year 2020, over 11 miles of non-motorized trails will be constructed since the development of Genesee County’s previous Regional Trail Plan in 2014. While the goals, objectives, and measures of effectiveness of the Regional Trail Plan stay true, development priorities have been updated in 2018 to reflect the completion of previous priorities and changes in public support. Residents were asked during the Genesee: Our County, Our Future community survey to prioritize how they would spend Source:
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Health Rankings, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2018
National Recognition The Flint-Genesee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Walkability Action Team was selected as 1 of 10 metropolitan regions nationally to participate in the 2017 Walkability Action Institute, sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Decatur, GA. The team demonstrated the capacity and level of readiness to create equitable access to opportunities for physical activity. The diverse makeup of our team would allow us to effectively implement policy, system, and environmental changes that promote walkable communities, improve health outcomes, and create new opportunities for residents. Since attending the Action Institute, the Flint-Genesee Team collectively has sought opportunities to increase health awareness, improve access to core services, document pedestrian activity, define potential barriers, and provide safe places that support residents walking to improve health. Access to Core Services Accessibility, or the ease in which people can reach their destinations, can be used to evaluate how well the transportation networks connect people to the services they use every day. In 2019, GCMPC completed an in-depth analysis to understand how well Genesee County households are able to access core service destinations by using the existing roadway, transit facilities, as well as the non-motorized transportation network.
Approximately 42% of households are within a 10minute walk (half mile) of a community park and 81% are within a 10-minute bike ride. Furthermore only 29% of Genesee County households are within a 10-minute walk of an elementary school; and 7% within a 10-minute walk of a library. Communities must continue to improve their local transportation network to ensure the public rightof-way can provide safe access to core services for all users and that there is a seamless connection between one’s home and the community’s core service. For a more details on each of the seven core services and their accessibility, please visit the Environmental Justice and Access to Core Services technical report. First and Last-Mile Commute The launch of the Flint Bike Share system (ondemand bicycles) in 2017 is one step community agencies have taken to improve equitable access to core resources. The system now includes nine stations, twenty-four bicycles, and is expanding every year with over 750 active members and 2,200 trips generated to date. As the nonmotorized network grows, the greater interest neighboring communities will have to add bike stations of their own. The Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) has worked diligently over the past several years to ensure residents can use the transit system efficiently to reach core community services. One example of this effort is through solving the first and last mile commute, or the journey from the one’s home to the bus stop or from the bus stop to their destination. To date, the MTA has not only installed bicycle racks on all of their fixed‐route buses but was one of the first sponsors of the Flint Bike Share system by locating a bikeshare station at the Downtown Flint Transfer Center. GCMPC has not only participated with the planning of previous locations but is also working with communities to
secure funding for new stations such as the one to be placed in the City of Grand Blanc in 2021. Safety Genesee County is ranked 7th in Michigan for vehicle to pedestrian crashes with 97 fatal or serious crashes over the past five years. Individuals who travel by foot, wheelchair, bike, or other nonmotorized means are among the most vulnerable road users. To address conflicts associated with pedestrian and bicycle safety, various countermeasures should be considered. These include sidewalks or separated pathways, pedestrian signals, promoting safer routes to school programs, targeted enforcement of all road users, and installation of traffic calming techniques such as lower speed limits, narrow streets, speed humps, and curb extensions. GCMPC works with local road agencies on an annual basis to identify potential safety issues and funding sources to help mitigate those issues. Health and Wellness The built environment we live in has a profound impact on our overall wellness and health. According to a 2018 County Health Rankings report, Genesee County ranks 82nd out of 83 counties for overall health outcomes.1 Our daily routine is influenced by this built environment and can unknowingly persuade us to make certain lifestyle decisions. Take for example eating healthy. Some neighborhoods in Genesee County have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. If fresh and affordable food options were located closer, one might be more inclined to provide healthier foods for their family. The same could be said about participating in physical activities. One might become more active and choose walking/biking as their primary mode of transportation or form of recreation if amenities such as non-motorized trails were more accessible. Non-Motorized Trails Page 1